The Silence
by IronicVeghead
Summary: Wally, logically, knows that the floor hasn't fallen away. But it certainly felt like it had. He drew his hand away from Artemis, feeling for his ears. There's gauze wrapped around his head, blocking his fingers from probing them. But he tapped on the gauze over where he knows the shell of his ears are, scratches, snaps his fingers. And heard nothing. Spitfire Oneshot.


**Hey Everyone! I know it's been a long time, but rest assured I am NOT giving up writing! I've just started nursing school and its hella busy. But here's something I've been working on to help keep me sane. Thanks to Ranty for being my persistent push to keep going! And without further chatter, here we go!**

* * *

Wally woke up slowly, drawing consciousness from the depths of his foggy mind. His limbs felt heavy and he recognized the emptiness at his core that was his unrelenting hunger. He drifted for a while, pulling at tangled memories and trying to remember where he was last. Images of fire and metal were all he could bring fourth. Fire and heat and a burning sensation that made his skin throb. It didn't take long for him to realize he had been on a mission. After all. When wasn't he on a mission?

_Must've gotten hit in the head. _Wally reasoned, bargaining with his memory lapse.

His stomach was still clawing at him so he pulled out of the drifting semi consciousness he was in. His body was acutely aware of a weight draped across his torso and when he opened his eyes to investigate he couldn't help but give a smile. Artemis had curled up around him, one arm tucked around his ribs and the other grasping at the sheets over his abdomen. Her blonde hair was fanned out over the sheets and he could feel the pressure of her breathing as her chest pressed against him. A further exploration of the room told him that, yes, he'd likely been on a mission and hit his head; as he was now on a bed in the Mount Justice infirmary. He turned his gaze back to the beautiful woman snoozing on his belly.

His left arm was pinned under her grasp, which he had no qualms about, so he raised his right hand to bring to her temple, drawing a few strands of her hair between his digits. Wally didn't know why he was even in the infirmary, he felt fine. _Really._ So if Artemis would just let him up they could go home and have dinner. No big deal.

His gut told him that he was missing something, something crucial, but he brushed it off. His limbs were all intact and he was thinking clearly. A clean bill of health if he'd ever seen one.

He drew his fingers down Artemis's temple until he reached her cheek, brushing it slightly with his thumb to draw her awake. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly before she finally opened her eyes. And in the moment before she was truly awake, Wally noticed that her eyes were red. She'd been crying.

Why would she be crying?

Wally opened his mouth to comfort her, but she jumped at him before he could get the chance, her arms locking around his neck and shoulders and her face pressing into his cheek. He grinned at her affection and let out a laugh.

That's when he realizes something has gone wrong.

"_Babe?"_ Wally tries. But nothing comes out of his mouth. Artemis drew back from her hold and is settled on her knees, watching his face carefully with despair and pity as her weight dug into the mattress. She doesn't say anything.

Wally cleared his throat and tried again, _"My voice-"_ He stopped, pursing his lips when his words fail once more.

Artemis grimaced and pressed forward to kiss him. Her lips are chapped and he can feel how stiff she is when he curved his arms around her torso. Wally pulled back but Artemis's lips were steady and persistent. There's love in her kiss, but he can tell when she's avoiding something. Distracting him. He pulled back more forcefully, cupping her face gently with one of his hands and giving her a hard stare. He doesn't want to try speaking again, but it doesn't matter, because he knew Artemis understood his question by the way her eyes darted away.

Her eyes landed back on him finally and then her mouth opened. She was saying something.

Wally frowned, he couldn't hear her voice.

Artemis's shoulders fell and her mouth moved again. He watched her lips as though if he stared hard enough her voice would come to him. But it didn't. She leaned forward and gave him another kiss before leaning over to grab a piece of paper on the side table. She handed it to him carefully and drew closer, placing herself comfortably at his side in the bed with her arms slung around his torso. His arm instinctively wrapped around her waist while the other held the note up to read.

A quick glance told him that Artemis had written it, he would recognize her handwriting anywhere. The carefully printed words reverberated in his mind, taking the comforting form of Artemis's throaty voice.

"_Wally, if your reading this then that means you've woken up and started asking questions," _

The redhead turned to glance at his girlfriend; she nodded for him to continue reading.

"_I don't know if you remember, but we were on a mission in San Francisco. Atomic Skull was trying to steal some new tech on its way to a nuclear facility. We managed to stop him but in order to escape he set a bomb to go off in the middle of the city. Nightwing couldn't disarm it, so you decided to run it out over the ocean before it could detonate in the middle of the city. Which was dumb of you, by the way. Although very heroic. If you ever do anything like that again I'll kill you myself. Even though you did save the city, no one was hurt. Except you," _

Artemis started dotting kisses across his shoulder, but Wally paid her no mind and focused his eyes on the words before him.

"_You were pretty beat up with burns, but your speed healing kicked in for most of it. There's only one part of you that doesn't seem to be healing properly. Your inner ears. The wave and sound of the blast really did a number on them and Doctor Mid-Nite doesn't think it's going to heal correctly, he's worried the damage is too extensive," _

Wally, logically, knew that the floor hadn't fallen away. But it certainly felt like it had. He dropped the note like it was made of fire and drew his hand away from Artemis, feeling for his ears. There's gauze wrapped around his head, blocking his fingers from probing them. But he tapped on the gauze over where he knows the shell of his ears are, scratches, snaps his fingers.

And heard nothing.

"_HA!"_ His shout was sudden and Wally could feel Artemis jump from surprise beside him. He tried it a few more times. He could feel the force of his voice straining his throat; the vibrations of his yells in his lips.

But none of it reached his ears.

He turned to his rock.

"_Artemis,"_ Wally couldn't hear his voice, but he knows his own body and if he guessed, he'd say it was probably a very strangled version of his girlfriend's name. She was pulled up against him, a breath of something flirting across his cheek and he's sure that she was saying something to him but he didn't know what it was.

And it hit him that he'd never know. Because chances were that he'd never hear her voice again.

Wally wanted to curl up like a child and throw a tantrum. He wanted to try again. A do over. How was he supposed to be Wally West and be deaf?

Instead he curled around Artemis, dropping his head in her shoulder as she surrounded him within her grasp. His throat cuts off and he knew that he was close to sobbing. He wanted to tell Artemis everything that he was feeling. But he couldn't because he didn't have any way to communicate with her. He supposed he could speak at her, but not hearing his own words was strange and felt disjointed. The reality of his situation bore down on his heart and fears he'd never needed to have before were suddenly in the forefront of his mind.

He'd never hear Artemis's wonderful voice again.

He'd never listen to his favorite songs again.

Never hear Nelson barking at squirrels again.

Never hear his best friend's laughter.

How was he supposed to live with that?

How was he supposed be Kid Flash?

How _could_ he be Kid Flash?

Wally's breaths were coming out in staggered gasps, his eyes watering and his jaw throbbing from held back sobbing. Artemis's grip was sturdy around him, her fingers digging into the loose shirt he'd been put in and taking his weight. He thought he might have been leaving fingernail marks in her skin from the force with which he was grasping her, but she merely held on tighter.

He could feel the shaking coming from the archer's shoulders and the dampness collecting on the collar of his shirt. He supposed at least he wasn't alone in his tears. Wally's dry heaving turned to gasps of frustration, his jaw grinding from the force of his bite between exhales. He couldn't tell how loud he was being and it bothered him not to know.

It could have been only minutes, or possibly hours, but eventually Wally's tears slowed and his breath ran out. He knew that it was only a matter of time before he had to pull together and figure out what came next. After being still for a moment, Artemis pulled back, drawing his face in her palms and wiping his tears away with gentle thumbs. Wally wanted to cry again at the face she was making. She was trying so hard to be brave, to give him a smile and hope. But he could see the grimace behind her teeth, the fear in the corners of her eyes. She was as lost as he was.

Wally didn't hear her move her arm, but he felt the bump of the note he'd previously dropped as Artemis pushed it back into his chest. Her mouth was moving again, making his heart clench, but she was also pointing to a paragraph at the end that he'd missed, insisting that he read it.

He took the paper gingerly, who knew what other bad news was awaiting him. Maybe if he didn't read it then he could just ignore it. That his problems would just go away. His green eyes were staring at the words but he wasn't focused, wasn't reading their meaning. Artemis seemed to notice this and she nudged him a bit more forcefully.

Apparently he didn't have a choice.

"_I know that you're scared, Wally. I am too. This is going to change a lot, and it's going to take a lot of getting used to. But I think we can do it. You aren't alone. We'll work through this. If there's anything you've taught me in the last four years we've been together. It's that you can do anything. You can do this. I love you, and we'll get through this together."_

Wally didn't think he had ever loved Artemis more than he did at that moment. This time he placed the note carefully to the side before turning to the blonde still connected to his side. Artemis was watching him, love filling her eyes as her hands grasped at his arms. His spitfire, willing to take on the biggest challenge they've ever faced together, and there wasn't a drop of hesitation in her gaze.

"I love you," Wally told her. He still couldn't hear his own voice, had no idea if he was yelling or whispering. But Artemis heard him nonetheless and gave him one of the smiles she reserved especially for him, "And you're right. I'm terrified," He paused, swallowing. If it weren't force the vibrations on his lips and tongue, he'd have no idea if he was even speaking. Pushing through silence was odd, like trudging through mud, "How," He swallowed again, not sure if he'd spoken, "How am I supposed to still be _me_?" Wally's eyebrows knotted together and his eyes drifted to the side, but he realized he had no idea if Artemis was speaking if he was turned away. So he brought his gaze back and found her just as confused as he was.

Artemis opened her mouth a few times automatically, words on the tip of her tongue. But she knew they were useless. She rose her hands instead, staring at them while she thought. Wally wished he could at least hear the tone of her voice, the rough dulcet that had always comforted him. Artemis started gesturing, pointing to her ear a few times until she was sure he'd gotten the first message.

"_Hearing"_

The blonde paused, considering her next movement before pulling her arms up and dropping them in opposite directions, making a large X in the air while she frowned for emphasis.

"_Does not"_

Artemis was certain of her next move, flattening her hands and gesturing to his entire body. Wally understood quickly, amending his previous translation as he got the message.

"Hearing isn't who you are," Wally spoke aloud, ensuring that he understood her correctly. Artemis nodded and punctuated her statement with a sound kiss. He responded, as he always did, but pulled back with another question on his lips.

"I won't be able to be Kid Flash anymore, will I?" It was less of a question and more of a statement. Artemis straightened her posture at his words, however, a coy look on her features before she brought her hands up once more.

She rotated her forearms in a circle around each other, making a rolling motion which Wally didn't understand the point of. But then she pointed to her wrist with a bit of a genuine smile.

"It will take time," Wally said, receiving a nod once more from Artemis. He smirked, she'd already thought of this problem, and by the clever look on her face was already thinking of how he could overcome his new disability and keep helping. It seemed like a long shot; being optimistic about continuing a superhero career after losing his hearing. But Artemis wasn't his spitfire for nothing. She was stubborn as hell when she needed to be.

His eyes had dropped to the sheets, his mind filling with worries about the future, about the difficulties he would face, but Artemis caught his attention once more. She grabbed his hands gently, tugging on them until he met her eyes. Her steely gaze was filled with determination and she was speaking slowly. Her mouth exaggerating the words. Wally concentrated on her lips, watching the movement she was repeating until he could make sense of it. The words were familiar, he'd seen them many times on her lips and it wasn't difficult to figure out.

"_I love you,"_ She was telling him. Over and over to make sure he understood. Speaking so firmly in her words that Wally could hear her voice filling his head, drawing her voice from the memories of however many million times she'd said it to him before, "I love you, Wally"

"I love you too Artemis," He repeated back to her, swallowing the lump in his throat that was growing as he reached for her. She was pliant to the hand he'd ghosted across her jaw and met him halfway, sealing their worries and hopes in a binding kiss.

The kiss is lingering, sweet, and soulful. Wally pulled her close, breathing her in like she was his only salvation, while Artemis savored it, slowly molding herself to his pulls and his tight grasp. Wally pulled away with a sigh, dropping his forehead on Artemis's and relishing in the way her breath fanned over his lips before she left him a few lingering kisses on the corners of his lips. He opened his eyes slowly, feeling weariness in his soul that he feared wouldn't be leaving for some time. Because there was still far too much to figure out. Wally felt lost, in a world that had suddenly shifted into some place he'd never been before.

"Where is the team?" He asked, hoping that he has successfully whispered, and not yelled in his girlfriend's face. Artemis blinks a few times, still pulled into the senses of their kiss, and then she pointed to the door of the infirmary.

_Ah_. He understood. They'd been waiting, leaving Artemis the sensitive job of breaking the news to him. Artemis touched Wally's chin lightly to catch his eyes before sending a questioning glance in the direction of the door. She was wondering if she could bring them in.

Wally nodded, knowing that he'd have to face everyone eventually. Artemis dropped a kiss on his temple as she stretched her legs and left the bed to retrieve the team. The redhead took a few slow breaths, trying to build his confidence, trying to look like his life hadn't just shaken beyond comprehension. He knew that these were his friends; that they'd understand. But that didn't change his instinctive need to protect himself from the looks of pity and worry that he'd be receiving. If he was going to face this challenge, he wanted support, not pity.

He jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder, having been staring at his hands in his lap. Artemis was at his side again, her grip comforting as the rest of the team began surrounding the bed. His green eyes darted at all of their lips, trying to catch if someone was speaking. Nervous smiles greeted him instead. No one has said anything to him; Wally supposes they don't know how.

M'gann caught his eye as she touched a finger to her temple, her eyes glowing momentarily.

"_Mental link established,"_ Her voice is in his head.

_Of course_, telepathy. Wally didn't need his inner ears to hear telepathy. It was such a relief to hear _anything_, though, anything but the uncomfortable silence.

"_Hi,"_ Wally thinks, figuring out that his teammates were waiting for him to start the conversation.

"_Hey man, it's good to see you awake,"_ Dick says, grinning.

"_We were so worried!"_ M'gann interjects, her hands clenched together at her bosom.

Conner and Kaldur quickly add their own relief. Wally grits his teeth; he knows that they're avoiding the problem. Probably because they don't know how he's reacted.

_"Look, you don't need to dodge around it. I guess I'm deaf now. So it looks like I won't be joining you on missions anymore,"_ The speedster didn't mean to sound so bitter, but his mind didn't always hold the same filter that his mouth did.

"Actually we've been talking about that," Conner started, his arms crossed across his chest and showing his discomfort.

"_It's going to take time, Wally. No one is going to lie about that,"_ Artemis cut in, and Wally felt himself calming at her voice, the first time he'd heard it since he woke up, "_But none of us think that it's impossible for you to still be a hero," _

"_I've been doing some research, and we've all agreed to learn sign language together," _Megan smiled, hope shining in her eyes.

"_I can help you learn to read lips, I already know how,"_ Dick added.

"_We want you to know that you aren't alone," _Kaldur's thoughts were steady and strong.

Artemis's hand squeezed Wally's shoulder and he felt his tightened nerves relax.

"_Thank you,"_ His thoughts were short, quick. He wanted to mean it, but he didn't want to worry about communicating just yet. How was he supposed to communicate with someone when he didn't even know how to handle the silence of his own world. The silence that was screaming at him every time his friend's voices left his mind.

It was as though the whole world stopped and waited between each gap in the conversation.

"_For now, though. I think I just want to go home,"_ Wally could hear the weariness in his own thoughts, and he could see the growing pity in the features of his teammates, _"I need some time to just,"_ He paused, _"To just figure things out,"_

Wally wasn't dumb; he could see the way their faces fell. He knew they wanted to help him, to be around and be his ears.

But they couldn't help him live with the silence.

"_Alright, Wally,"_ Artemis dropped her head to press a kiss to his temple, _"Let's go home,"_

* * *

It had been a whole week and everything was still shifting. Wally was still stumbling through the silence, but he was slowly learning how to adjust. Artemis had been steady in her support, and relentless in her stubbornness.

She was patient when they were trying to communicate, easily wading through all of the notes that she had to write to tell him things; and consistent in the idea that he should keep talking. They'd made hand signals for when he was talking too loud or too soft, and sticky notes were a common occurrence around the apartment.

Nelson hadn't been as patient with Wally. The poor pitbull didn't understand that Wally couldn't hear his barking, and Artemis's ears were the victim of the dogs unending quest for Wally's response. Wally was convinced that Nelson was learning to nudge him instead of barking, Artemis was less enthusiastic.

Visitors became a daily event. Wally's parents had been devastated to learn of his loss, and Mary began bringing food over as it was the only way she found she could offer her support. Barry and Iris were a team of overly optimistic enthusiasts. They were full of ideas and experiments to see if there was a way to use the speedster ability to help make up for Wally's hearing loss. Iris had called Artemis the other day to tell them that she and Barry were _sure_ about this new idea of using speed to amplify the vibrations of speech. Wally wasn't as optimistic, but he appreciated the effort nonetheless.

M'gann had taken it upon herself to learn sign language and was currently teaching anyone what she knew if they gave her the five minutes to get started on her lessons. Dick kept showing up (without warning and without knocking) to install new gadgets all over their apartment. There was a flashing light above the front door now that went off when the doorbell rang, and another next to the oven that was connected to the oven timer.

Which was currently going off.

As Wally pulled the pizza rolls out of the oven, his bare feet picked up the vibrations from Artemis crossing the room. The first couple days she found herself stomping everywhere in order not to startle her boyfriend when she showed up suddenly at his side. Luckily he got better at catching the subtle changes around him before the neighbors below them started complaining.

A pair of arms wrapped around his torso as he moved the snacks onto a plate and he leaned into her grasp. Sticky notes were collected all around the apartment, but the two found that most of the time they didn't need words to communicate what needed to be said. Together the two lovers moved to the couch, Wally setting the plate of pizza rolls on the coffee table while Artemis turned on the stereo. The vibrations from the speakers thumped through the walls, courtesy of a modified speaker set that Conner had brought over and told them to keep on the floor.

"C'mere you," Wally grinned, leaning back into the cushions as Artemis settled between his legs, dropping herself gracefully on his chest as his arms wrapped around her. The redhead glanced over at the snacks on the table and opened his mouth expectantly. He couldn't hear what Artemis said in response, but the look on her face and the playful smack to his chest was enough to make him laugh. Artemis silenced him by stuffing three pizza rolls in his mouth. He laughed around them as best he could but finally closed his trap to chew and swallow. After successfully gulping down the food Wally was delighted to notice that he could feel the shaking of Artemis's chest as she laughed. He held her sides a little tighter and imagined what it sounded like. He'd heard it enough times before to conjure up the sound, and although it wasn't the same as hearing it, he was grateful to have known it before he lost his hearing. To be able to know her well enough that he could pull her from his memories.

There were still obstacles to overcome. In a few days he and Artemis were going to the Cave to take M'gann's "Team Required Sign Language Lessons", which were starting up and going to occur weekly. With _homework_, as Conner had warned them. They were also open to Wally's parents, Iris, Barry, and any league members who wanted to had also decided to start giving personal impromptu lessons on lip reading, and frustrating Wally to no end with his decisions to show up at the worst times and refusing to leave until they had made some progress.

Wally hadn't figured out how he was going to attend lecture classes successfully yet, but Artemis was certain that Stanford would have some sort of program to assist him in getting the material he needed. Wally was mostly concerned that if they _didn't_ then Artemis would be tearing through the college until they _did_.

But for the moment, Wally was content with having Artemis curled up on the couch with him, their lips melded together while Nelson settled on the rug below. He couldn't hear the noises she was making, but her lips were still warm and insistent against him, her fingers still gliding through his hair and her breath warm as it curled around his cheeks. Wally swept one of his hands up across her chest and settled it against her neck, his fingers picking up the pulse of her fluttering heartbeat and the faint vibrations from her hums of pleasure.

They kissed and nestled together until the snacks grew cold. As Artemis pulled back he drank in her smile and her sharp eyes, hazed from love, just as he was sure his own mirrored. Wally grinned and patted his neck, his expression eager and hopeful. The hand still tracing her jaw told him that she hummed in affirmation before she pulled herself up further on the couch with his assistance. Wally shifted to make room for the blonde as she nuzzled into his embrace, tucking her head into his shoulder and letting her cheek rest against his skin.

And then Artemis started humming. It was one of Wally newest favorite things to do. It wasn't always a familiar tune, sometimes it was random, other times she'd hum one of his choice songs. But it was always one of his favorite parts of the day. The tune from her throat would vibe against his freckled skin with intermittent kisses and for a moment, Wally could hear again. Artemis would hum until she grew tired of it or one of them fell asleep, tucked away together somewhere comfortable in their apartment.

It was those times, close together when words didn't matter, whether cuddling, kissing, or making love, that gave Wally hope that everything would be fine. That not everything had changed, and that someday, maybe it would be like nothing had. There was still a lot to overcome, but he wasn't alone. And Wally was certain he'd never forget that.

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it and I hope that soon I'll have more up for you all to read! Please leave a review to let me know what you think. Even if its just a little note, I appreciate it all the same. **

**Love, Veg**


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